Hospitality Superhero gives inspirational advice post Covid- 19
Umbrella Training Superhero Mentoring Scheme
To the Supervisors, Managers and Senior Managers in Hospitality Businesses
During the past few months, I have had the great pleasure of participating with other hospitality leaders in the Superheroes Talks for the Umbrella Mentoring Training Programme.
During these talks, many questions were asked on leadership, leadership styles, strategy post lockdown, mental & physical wellbeing, hospitality spirit and how to handle redundancy. I’d firstly like to congratulate all the apprentices for the questions, and on the enthusiasm and ongoing passion for hospitality during these very difficult times.
The purpose of this blog is to pass on my suggestions if I were in your shoes and facing the challenges posed following the Covid-19 crisis.
I do, of course, appreciate you are in various positions and there is no ‘one size fits all approach’ but I hope there will be some points that will help you to develop your leadership skills.
Harry Murray MBE MI FIH
Leaders are made not born
There have been thousands of books published on leadership and many ask: ‘Are leaders born or can leadership be taught?’ In my view, leadership can be taught. It is a skill that should not be over complicated. It should be kept plain and simple by sticking to the basics.
There is a danger that leadership can be too scientific, and many books contradict each other and there is always a new trend which helps book sales.
In terms of leadership style, I’d always suggest that people are authentic. You should have high expectations of yourself and do unto others as you would have them done unto you.
Basics of good leadership
Whatever your position is in the company, to be a leader, you need followers. You don’t need a certain IQ, ID or fancy Job title. It’s not about being ‘In charge’ it’s about taking care and being responsible for those ‘in your charge’ and earning their respect and trust.
It’s about creating the right environment, supporting them, trusting them and catching them doing something right - not catching them doing something wrong.
Your followers should look forward to coming to work and enjoy their jobs. Happy staff are essential for all stakeholders. Think back to leaders who inspired and motivated you, I am sure you have heard the saying ‘I would run through a brick wall for him or her’ and compare them with the ones who de-motivated you.
Vision and goals
The late President Mandela said the most elusive and most desired quality of Leadership is VISION, and his vision for South Africa was well documented.
Leadership starts in the future. Firstly, you have to be ambitious and have a goal for your team, organisation, colleagues and yourself. You need to be passionate about it. I have enjoyed reading Stephen Covey’s ‘Begin With The End In Mind’. This helps to provide some structure to your plans and thoughts.
In sport, the vision may be an Olympic gold medal and the journey is all the hard work, training and focus. Successful people are self-disciplined, self-motivated and never-give-up. Whatever your goals, if you want to succeed, you have to be clear on what you are trying to achieve.
Firstly, understand what the vision and goals of the organisation are, and your immediate boss’s objectives because it is important you are all on the same page and moving in the same direction.
I do, of course, appreciate that with the unprecedented situation post-Covid-19, visions and goals will have changed dramatically and in many organisations, it may be just focusing on survival.
Even so, having agreed and clarified the vision and goals & sense of purpose, you’re now in a position to communicate and share this information with your team. I’ve always found that it is important that each member needs to know what their role is and the value they will add to that journey. It is then important to implement procedures to measure progress. What gets measured gets done.
Engage with your team
Once you have a clear road map of where you are going you need to fully engage with your team. You need to create an enjoyable and working environment to help you develop a highly motivated, skilled, enthusiastic and winning team.
Never has emotional intelligence (EQ) and in particular EMPATHY & TRUST been more important than it is today.
Trust is the highest form of human motivation and is the most essential ingredient in effective communications with your people.
My first suggestion under this heading, therefore, would be to arrange a ‘one to one‘ with each member of your team. This should be done preferably away from the work environment where you cannot be disturbed.
Many of your people may be suffering from lock-down, self-doubt, & mental health issues.
Some may still be worried about their jobs, and even worried about colleagues who were made redundant. They may also be concerned that there are less staff to do the same job.
It is important that you listen very carefully to their concerns and ask them what they expect from you and have they got the right tools for the job.
Promise them your full support and encourage them to think outside the box on how you can deliver the best performance from your department. You must also walk the talk, be visible and available when that support is needed but at the same time - don’t overreact if they make mistakes, treat them as a family, not as numbers.
You must show them that you do care about them and build a good working relationship. A sign of a good leader is when their success is more important than your own.
Delivering results
The hospitality industry has suffered more than most other industries following four months of lock-down. Many businesses are suffering from cash flow and increased costs due to Covid-19 strict health, hygiene and safety regulations.
Also, businesses are not in a position to operate at full capacity due to social distancing, and due to regular customers still not having the confidence to return. Cancellations are also causing additional problems for operators.
This is a time for inspirational leadership, thinking outside the box and looking at every opportunity to deliver results. In the past, many businesses came out stronger after the recession due to being more focused on results. One recommendation I suggest to all leaders is to develop your business acumen, financial management, and revenue management skills.
There are some excellent training courses on-line with HOSPA which will help you develop these skills. By improving your skills in financial management, you will be in a position to develop your team so that they are familiar with key performance indicators, understanding the need to improve productivity and control costs.
May I also draw your attention to the new on-line courses with Umbrella Training ‘Hospitality Supervisor Level 3’ and ‘Senior Culinary Chef Level 4’.
In conclusion, I wish you all continued success.
Harry Murray MBE MI FIH
